Do you know who makes all the rules in my house, I think it’s both my kids, yes my son doesn’t like mom taking a nap or sleeping, he wants to be comforted all night and day. If mom just holds him and watches him without doing anything he is happy. I was sleepy all the morning, and thought I will take a nap in the afternoon, we all three, I, daughter and son were ready for. But then he doesn’t like mama sleeping in the afternoon, and he kept on crying for all most 30 minutes and even make me drop the idea of taking a nap. Finally I was able get him to get him to go to sleep, and then I was able to get my 1 hour nap to feel fresh.
I have baked breads, pancakes, coffee cake and puff pastry with yeast, however has never tried any cookies/biscuits with it. So when Aparana ‘s Challenge “ We Knead to Bake bread this month “ was to make Torcettini or twisted cookies from Val d' Aosta, north west Italy, I thought I should give it a try. .It was a favorite of Italy’s Queen Margherita of Savoy, and in fact, she liked the version in one pastry shop so much that she knighted the owner on the spot.
Torcettini is mainly made in the of Saint Vincent in Valle d'Aosta, a small mountainous region in North-Western Italy, even though they’re well known throughout the Piedmont region as well. These delicious crunchy biscuits originated in bakeries that made breadsticks. The story goes that one day a grissini baker had some butter left over which he mixed into the last batch of his grissini dough. To distinguish it from the grissini dough he looped this dough and then sprinkled them with sugar before baking. The result was a delicious Torcettini biscuit which is usually dipped in tea, coffee or hot chocolate. These are a cross between a buttery bread stick and a caramelized puff pastry palmier.
These are delicious and at their prime when it taken out from the oven. Next day they are fine and but after that they will lose their charm. Since it has lot of history attached to it. I wanted to make traditional version (as Aparna even given a chocolate version). As it has its origins from bread dough it has no sugar in the dough only sugar is rolled and then twisted to make pear or tear drop shape. I love the fact that there is no sugar is in the dough; only it is rolled in sugar just before baking. I used Turbinado sugar, which is crunchy and looks beautiful in baked goods, and also used lime zest. I used my food processor (which I rarely use in my kitchen) for adding the components.
If you want these munchies for your evening tea, you can start the process in the morning. I like to let the yeast work in dough for overnight, so made the dough one day and baked the Torcettini on next day. I loved it, my hubby afraid of try them as it has sugar crusted. Still he tried a few. I didn’t force him. My daughter tried it and she liked it first day. Next day she didn’t want it. So the remaining cookies or biscuits became mine which I finished happily.
If you looking for something new to try then give it try it will be delicious with caramelized top and soft interior. Here comes the recipe.
Print Recipe from here
For making dough and Torcettini like this
Twisted Yeasted Cookies/ Biscuits/ Torcettini di Saint Vincent
(Adapted from A Baker’s Tour by Nick Malgieri)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: overnight
Baking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 24 no
Ingredients:
½ cup/96g warm water, about 110 F
1 ¼ tsp/4g active dry yeast ( I used Red Star Yest)
1 ½ cups/229g all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lime/ lemon zest
40 gm unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
about ⅓ cup sugar for rolling the cookies ( I used turbinado sugar)
Preparation:
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water, set aside until it becomes frothy.
- In a food processor bowl (or a largish regular bowl if kneading by hand) add flour and salt and pulse few times to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is well mixed and the flour-butter mixture looks powdery.
- Add the yeast-water mixture and pulse until the dough comes together as a ball. Do not over process or knead. Place the ball of dough in a oiled bowl, turning it so it is well coated with the oil. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise quite a bit.
- This dough does not really double in volume, but it should look “puffy” after about an hour or so. When you pinch off a bit from the top you can see the interior looking a bit like honeycomb. Press down the dough and deflate it, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate it for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. I kept the dough for about overnight in refrigerator.
- When ready to make the cookies, take the dough out and lightly roll it out into an approximately 6” square. If the dough feels sticky, add little sugar on it. Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into four strips of equal width. Cut each strip into 6 equal pieces, by cutting across, making a total of 24 pieces. The measurements are not very critical in this part because this just makes it easier to have 24 equal sized bits of dough, as compared to pinching of bits of the dough.
- Roll each piece into a pencil thick “rope” about 5” long. Sprinkle a little sugar on your work surface and roll the “rope” in it so the sugar crusts the dough uniformly. Form the “rope” into a loop crossing it over before the ends.
- Place the Torcettini on parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 1 ½" between them. Leave them for about 20 minutes or so till they rise/ puff up slightly. Don’t worry, they will not “puff up” much.
- Bake them at 160C (325F) for about 25 minutes until they’re a nice golden brown. Cool the cookies completely, on a rack. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
I am linking to We Knead bake #4
also Yeast spotting.
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Vineetha says
it has been ages since I have taken naps..my lil one foes to nursery in afternnon,so i get harldy 2 hrs in between,so not time for nap 🙁 Enjoy ur naps..
Seeing this cookie everywhere is tempting me a lot..
Nagashree says
Gorgeous looking cookies, I like the lemon zest added in the dough.
mjskit says
Very Yummy cookies! I love the hint of lemon zest. Hopefully you finally got at least a little catnap in once these cookies came out of the oven. 🙂
Marisa G says
I went to Aosta valley 13 years ago and it's a beautiful place. They speak French and Italian. I didn't know these cookies and they look perfect. I'll copy the recipe tomorrow, here is very late.
Take care with your son, even when they grow up, they want their mom all for them the whole time. Mine's is 20 and he's always telling me what I have to do or not. But despite of this, enjoy being with your children, they grow up very quickly.
Cheer from Valencia
Rebecca Subbiah says
these look great and I agree a nap really helps 😉
Peggy G. says
what a cute little cookie!
Sushma Mallya says
looks perfect..
Rumana Ambrin says
They look very soft and perfect shape....
Gheza e shiriin says
Pictures are real tempting.loved these twisted munchies
Elisabeth Foodandthrift says
Hi Swathi, loved reading your cute story about your children and the 'nap'...glad you finally get to take your 1hr nap in the afternoon which really does help with all the busy tasks you do every day and still bake amazing things like this well known Italian biscuit/cookie, and yeasted as well! Such a great history behind it, and the cookies look so perfect crunchy and delicious! Love the cute twisted shapes of it and of course your helpful step-by-step photo tutorial which is always so helpful!
Latha Madhusudhan says
Beautiful clicks and amazing it looks. I am sure it must have tasted gr8 too.
Asiya Omar says
Wow! Nice cookies.
Suja Md says
The cookies looks soft and yummy!! love it!!
Reeni Pisano says
What pretty cookies Swathi! Lucky you to get the leftovers! They look perfect to go with a cup of tea!
Guru Uru says
Yum, these cookies look gorgeous!
Cheers
CCU
Janani says
lovely so cute ...I love the perfect twist and its very tempting.
Hema says
Cookies look awesome especially with the sugar coating, very tempting..
Rani's gourmet says
beautiful post dear...
Sanoli Ghosh says
Oh God, so cute cookies......wonderfully made it Swathi.
today's post:
http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/04/peas-spinach-rice-matar-palak-rice.html
Eric Pepple says
Those are soo cool! Great job, they sound delicious 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
David says
These look divine. Would a little chilli chocolate dipping sauce go well on the side?
Nilu A says
Your cookies look so tempting and delicious Swathi 🙂
Gauri says
Something different, would like to try my hand at this!
Sona S says
Lovely cookies..
Amrita Vishal says
Perfectly baked traditional yeasted goodies!!
Kaveri Venkatesh says
Very different cookies...they look wonderful, Swathi
Pavithra R says
Delicious and perfectly made twisted cookies, looks like a sweeter version of pretzels but with a different color - Looks traditional, warm, crunchy and the texture is just right.
You have lots of patience to painstakingly take snaps of each every process.
Love it!
Sangeetha Nambi says
Looks sooooooooooo perfectly... Loved ur step-wise clicks..
VineelaSiva says
Wow Swati the cookies looks delicious.Love it.
DivyaGCP says
Perfectly baked cookies.. They look yum!
Navaneetham Krishnan says
I love the twist, I love the sugary coating on top and I am full of praises for the talent you have for baking.
Sravs says
New to me !! perfectly baked one !!
Divya Shivaraman says
Wow..they are perfectly baked buddy
divya says
looks delish!
Torviewtoronto says
biscuit looks wonderful lovely pictures
Gajus kitchen says
The cookies look perfect and super tempting
nayana says
yummy cookies and vry nice and detailed presentation, bookmarked it....
Priya Anandakumar says
Wow Swathi, lovely lovely delicious cookies. You have explained it so nicely and very beautiful clicks. I have to surely make this, my kids will love it. Thank you very much Swathi for sharing it.